The IntraLase Method is a 100% blade-free technique used to perform the critical first step in the LASIK procedure: creating the corneal flap. The creation of the corneal flap prepares the eye for the second step of the LASIK procedure where an excimer laser is used on the inner cornea to correct vision.

Find out if you are a candidate for LASIK eye surgery by clicking on the button below and completing the simple LASIK survey. A LASIK coordinator will be in contact with you to discuss your unique visual system. If you are seeking LASIK eye surgery in Los Angeles or Long Beach, California please feel free to call us directly or just contact us through our website. Our Los Angeles LASIK specialists are looking forward to helping you see your world clearly!

The Crystalens® accommodating intraocular lens is an intraocular lens used after cataract surgery or as a lens alternative in presbyopic lens exchanges. This intraocular lens was engineered with a hinge design to allow the optic, or the part of the lens that you see through, to move back and forth as your focus on an image changes. The Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens is permanently implanted during surgery and functions in a similar fashion as the natural lens of the eye. Once the surgery has been completed your eyes can focus on far or near objects in a comfortable way with no discomfort. If you are experiencing presbyopia or cataracts please feel free to consult us about the possibility of utilizing the new Crystalens® accommodative intraocular lens to rejuvenate your eyes.

Providing the highest quality eyecare is the number one priority at Eye Physicians of Long Beach and our Optical Department upholds this standard with excellent customer service and great eyewear customized to fulfill the needs of each need of our patients. Whether you need contact lenses or eyeglasses, we offer a wide variety of the highest quality contact lens brands and eyewear for every one of our patients. The latest frames styles from designers such as Christian Dior, Gucci, Maui Jim, Nike, Silhouette and many more are available in our beautiful Optical Store.

Why is Blade-FREE LASIK right for me?

Eye Physicians of Long Beach truly understands that the Intralase Blade-FREE LASIK procedure using a Femtosecond laser for the flap creation, creates a safer LASIK surgery than one that uses a blade. Eyes treated with the IntraLase FS Laser System have fewer visual disturbances (haze, glare, sensitivity), less pain, and less dryness than a microkeratome. The Intralase also offers flaps of uniform thickness, greater control of the flap architecture which reduces risks and as a result superior visual outcomes. Intralase LASIK also produces a faster visual recovery than surface ablations. We keep the safety of our patients a number one priority, therefore we invested in the best proven LASIK flap creation technology available.

When the patient makes the decision to have LASIK, it is literally a “life changing” event; not having to deal with the daily hassles of glasses and contacts is liberating and despite the fact that Blade-FREE LASIK generally works very well for our patients, it is important to remember that LASIK is an eye surgery, and we ask all of our patients to understand this by learning the potential risks and benefits of the procedure. We hope the safety and precision record accompanying the Intralase brand will help ease any concerns raised considering potential risks.

What is Intralase?

Blade Free LASIK Lakewood

The Intralase LASER is a Femtosecond (FS) laser used to create the corneal flap. We had been using the microkeratome for more than a decade but, after trying intralase, it completely replaced the blade-driven microkeratome. We are pleased with the amazing precision offered by the Intralase machine, and hope we can pass along this great precision in the vision of our patients.

The Intralase FS method is available in only 500 locations across the country. With the IntraLase method, pulses of laser light are used to create your corneal flap by creating small bubbles that gently dissect the tissue and the flap. This blade-free, computer-guided technology is more precise than most of the mechanical microkeratomes surgeons may use to create a corneal flap.

What are the Benefits of Intralase?

After several years of study, ophthalmologists have found that most LASIK complications arise from a poorly created corneal flap. The intralase makes this step safer. The Intralase offers computerized control of flap architecture that the microkeratome cannot offer. The flap thickness and diameter can be individualized and controlled with an accuracy of +/- 10 microns. The architecture of the flap is better, planar flaps instead of meniscus flaps lead to less aberrations. Computerized control of centration, a smoother corneal bed, and control of side wall architecture are benefits of the Intalase. A vertical flap sidewall can be created by the Intralase but not by the microkeratome. This results in a decreased rate of epithelial ingrowth and less movement of the flap after surgery. Intralase also offers less risk of flap related complications and very remote risk for free flaps, and button holes. In addition, if the procedure is interrupted for any reason it is easy to re-engage using the intralase which is not possible with the microkeratome. Eyes treated with the IntraLase FS Laser System had fewer visual disturbances (haze, glare, sensitivity), less pain, and less dryness than a microkeratome. * At one month, there is increased ability to see contrast versus before surgery.* There is also faster visual recovery.** In other words, the Intralase has made a very safe procedure even safer.

How does the Intralase create the flap?

The Intralase LASIK flap creation method is different from the CUT of a microkeratome blade. The femtosecond laser technology is able to more precisely program the dimensions of your flap based on the specifications of your eyes. In general, intralase leads to better visual results and is safer. The laser creates the LASIK flap from below the surface of the cornea without cutting the surface; this process is performed in a series of steps listed below:

The laser light passes harmlessly through your cornea, creating rows of bubbles just below your corneal surface, as it moves back and forth across your eye in a uniform plane.

Next, the Femtosecond Laser stacks the bubbles around your corneal diameter to create the edges of your flap; the bubbles are stacked at an angle determined by your ophthalmologist and is individualized to your eye shape.

Your doctor then gently lifts the LASIK flap to allow for the second step of your LASIK eye surgery. In this second step, the excimer laser is used to reshape the corneal tissue required to correct your vision. Once the surgery is complete, the LASIK flap is gently placed back into position and the healing process; the flaps created with the Femtosecond laser have been shown to be 2.5 times stronger than the ones created with the blade.

Shopping For Blade-FREE LASIK? Hear what the customer survey results have to say LASIK performed with IntraLase is preferred by patients.

In a survey of clinical practices, the vision in the IntraLase-treated eye was preferred up to 3 to 1 by patients over the vision in the mechanical blade-treated eye (among those who stated a preference).

During an FDA clinical study comparing the Femtosecond Intralase Blade-FREE laser to the leading microkeratome, more patients achieved 20/20 vision or better in standard and custom LASIK eye surgery when IntraLase was used to create the corneal flap.

If you are seeking Blade-FREE LASIK in the Long Beach, Lakewood, Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach or Garden Grove areas, we are more than happy to provide you with a thorough education and explanation of LASIK with a microkeratome versus the Intralase femtosecond laser method. If you are concerned about the cost, we suggest you visit our page regarding LASIK Financing in Long Beach. Unlike other LASIK centers in Los Angeles, we have been able to work with a variety of health care financing companies to provide the best LASIK Financing with the best rates and programs available.

How is iLASIK different from Intralase?

Many people get confused with the different forms and names of LASIK eye surgery. Both iLASIK and Intralase are brand names used by AMO (Abbott Medical Optics). Intralase is the most popular and versatile Femtosecond laser in the market. It is used to create the flap during the iLASIK procedure. However, Intralase is only one step in iLASIK and by itself does not deliver iLASIK. iLASIK is a new brand name to define the entire AMO Platform which includes Blade-FREE LASIK flap creation, Custom Wavefront Technology (also known as CustomVue) and the VISX Star 4 laser with iris registration and active tracker, for making the vision correction to the eye. Together these three platforms create the most advanced LASIK platform available today. This is the platform used at Eye Physicians of Long Beach.